What's the best thing we can do for youth?

[Hallamton 10]

It's easy to criticize youngsters and complain about them hanging around bus stops, smoking and swearing. But as older and wiser citizens what is the best thing we can do for them? I'm calling on people to give some serious feedback on how we can help them help themselves. The recession is taking even more hope away from teens and if they have no hope matters will only get worse.

 

Older maybe, but not always wiser.

 

The main issue I have is older generations being disrespectful to younger generations with the mindset that they're somehow superior. This is echoed in the OP with things that I've put in bold.

 

I don't think I'd get a welcome reception if I made a thread about how easy it is to criticize older generations and complain about them hanging around bus stops, smoking and swearing - even though they do. I don't see the problem with any of those things - they're all personal choices.

 

Mary Schmich (Chicago Tribune, 1997) said it best when she wrote:

 

"Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will

philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize

that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were

noble and children respected their elders."

 

Everyone has been young and nothing has changed. Stories that my Dad (61 years old) tells me about his youth bring up memories of mine which would support this.

 

I could honestly write for decades on this subject but I've got better things to do

[Aries22 10]

I was a teenager of the sixties, both of my grandma's would say, what is the world coming to. Nothing changes really, every generation has different aspirations.

[owlface 10]

Sterilise them before they have chance to breed. It's the only way the human race has a chance.............

 

Maybe if anyone that wants a kid should be screened first....

IQ tested and provided they could pass a reasonably simple test then compulsory parenting classes would then be provided.

If anyone repeatedly fails the tests then ship them off to a deserted island where they could produce little subhuman brats to their hearts content.

[Tipex 10]

Why help some little scrotes who dont help themselves? I never went to a social club or had a playstation and sweets.

 

How come i didnt turn out to steal cars, kill someone, rob a house ect?

[Saff 10]

In my view something that would help would be if ideally there were more opportunities for children of all ages and adults to mix socially. Children are excluded from a lot of adult activities and are left to their own devices. If they could all mix more there would be less fear of each other-- bring back community!

[Shef_Fitness 10]

What a nasty bunch some of these posters are, I take it when you were teenagers you were all perfect and never did anything wrong?

 

Kids do have very little to do, and thats thanks largely to the compensation culture, and which generation introduced that ??? yes step forward anyone aged 25 - 40 years old. Yes, you put in your compensation claims after DRINKING YOUR 10th PINT, falling over, getting injured AND THEN SUED THE BARMAN FOR GETTING YOU DRUNK !!!!

 

You are the ones who who took part in a sporting activity, got a minor injury, and then went running off to the nearest "no win, no fee solicitor" for compensation. Now we have weedy tosspots with their clipboards, spoling it for all the active kids.

 

Todays teens are not perfect, but can you honestly say you were an angel as a teen?

[Aries22 10]

What a nasty bunch some of these posters are, I take it when you were teenagers you were all perfect and never did anything wrong?

 

Kids do have very little to do, and thats thanks largely to the compensation culture, and which generation introduced that ??? yes step forward anyone aged 25 - 40 years old. Yes, you put in your compensation claims after DRINKING YOUR 10th PINT, falling over, getting injured AND THEN SUED THE BARMAN FOR GETTING YOU DRUNK !!!!

 

You are the ones who who took part in a sporting activity, got a minor injury, and then went running off to the nearest "no win, no fee solicitor" for compensation. Now we have weedy tosspots with their clipboards, spoling it for all the active kids.

 

Todays teens are not perfect, but can you honestly say you were an angel as a teen?

 

 

Of cause we did things wrong, but were punished for it and made sure we never did the same thing again, that's the difference, parents protect their little darlings. My generation of parent's gave you a clip round the ear, then asked questions later.

[Saff 10]

There's also the whole issue of not disciplining children who are not your own. you feel like you have to bite your tongue if you see someone else's child misbehaving because parents might take it as a judgement on their parenting skills and get defensive or interpret it as an attack on their children. Same when a child hurts themselves, you have to be careful deciding whether to intervene. I think we should be more interfering, in a good way. Children need to see that some behaviour is not acceptable to anyone, not just their parents.

[dazzler4 10]

There's also the whole issue of not disciplining children who are not your own. you feel like you have to bite your tongue if you see someone else's child misbehaving because parents might take it as a judgement on their parenting skills and get defensive or interpret it as an attack on their children. Same when a child hurts themselves, you have to be careful deciding whether to intervene. I think we should be more interfering, in a good way. Children need to see that some behaviour is not acceptable to anyone, not just their parents.

 

 

this is very true, the other thing is that kids having kids is also a very bad thing, how can a mother discipline her children when she was still a child herself when she became pregnant. 14 and 15 year olds that have lived no life and been dragged up. when i was younger i was punished and turned out nothing like half the scrotes you see hanging about making peoples lives miserable.

 

we need zero tolerance and a boot camp style system, they do not know the difference between right and wrong!

[Tradescanthia 10]

If we could transplant our brains in the bodies of the young and chuck away our worn out bodies that would be a start. The young brains could then be fitted into the old bodies. Problem solved. They would be too knackered to get up to any mischief.

[dazzler4 10]

If we could transplant our brains in the bodies of the young and chuck away our worn out bodies that would be a start. The young brains could then be fitted into the old bodies. Problem solved. They would be too knackered to get up to any mischief.

 

love the way of thinking!!!!!!:hihi::hihi:

[waxonwaxoff 13]

You know it really worries me that the answer to problem youths is too build a community centre/youth area. I have never seen this work. They can have the most facilities on offer and the children do not want to get involved or cant be bothered. I have worked with a few of these ''problem kids'' and the thing they are missing is a stable family environment. We don't encourage families in Britain compared to other countries. If the parents split in most other European countries the extended family are still there playing a role in bringing up the children and guiding them.

There seems to be a habit of throwing money at children to be the better parent. Buy them the latest computer games, trainers or buy them their fags and you can be their cool mum/dad thats more like a best friend.

 

There needs to be more emphasis on the importance of family time together. More often then not a good majority of the children causing trouble have rarely been on a day out with their family never mind a holiday. They have never extended further then the estate they live on and are already deemed at school to fail by the age of seven. They give up from a very young age and then for the rest of there lives people make excuses for their behavior but without wanting the hassles of getting to the root of the problem.

 

Yes there are children that cause trouble that are from a loving home but that really is a minority.

 

In bad areas facilities get provided for the people causing trouble. Yet there the ones that cant be bothered to attend. Or if they do dont want to get involved. They live a lifestyle with a negative attitude. Why not provide facilities to encourage proper family life? A lot of the time these children are responsible for looking after their younger siblings for long periods of time. Yet anything that is on offer for them to do is age restricted. Yet again they miss out and give up.

I think if you want to help them you have to have the harsh reality of what their lives are really like and try to provide the stability they are missing. I dont think making excuses for bad behavior is the answer either though. I think tolerance means it is acceptable and almost encouraged.